Ice Dogs, Avalanche to play outdoors

Posted: Wednesday, August 06, 2008

The North American Hockey League on Tuesday announced that the Fairbanks Ice Dogs will host the first-ever USA Hockey-sanctioned outdoor junior game on Feb. 13, 2009.

The Ice Dogs game against the Alaska Avalanche, a contest between two of the three Alaska teams in the NAHL -- the Kenai River Brown Bears being the other -- will be played on one of the three outdoor rinks adjacent to Big Dipper Arena in Fairbanks.

"The Fairbanks Ice Dogs are excited to host the first-ever outdoor junior game," said Ice Dogs general manager Rob Proffitt in a released statement. "This will be a great winter event for the Fairbanks community. There is no other place to hold this historic event."

The game will feature four, 15-minute periods with a warm-up between the first and second periods and a halftime between the second and third periods. It will also be furnished with bleachers, an outdoor sound system and a scoreboard. Faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Alaska time.

"The Alaska Avalanche is very excited to be part of such a monumental event in hockey," said Avalanche general manager Jamie Smith. "This will be a treat for the community of Fairbanks and the players involved will never forget the experience." Added Proffitt: "I can picture it already -- 2,000-plus people with their fur hats and Carhartt suits, sipping hot cider while enjoying the primary recreational activity of this great community."